


a moving sea between the shores of our souls

by DreamBrother



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Pizza Place, Angst, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 11:10:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17263163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamBrother/pseuds/DreamBrother
Summary: Steve walked into a pizza parlour in Chinatown late one night, and found the most haole haole to have ever haole’d in Hawaii working behind the counter. His name was Danny Williams.Yes, it's a pizza parlour AU.





	a moving sea between the shores of our souls

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Inspired by this photo (https://bit.ly/2VmcdRo) and the Worth It episode on pizza in NYC. Title slightly adapted from a poem by Khalil Gibran. Totally taking free reign with timing, order of events, characters etc as I've only seen the episodes in random order. Also, this is a WIP. You have been duly warned!

** a moving sea between the shores of our souls **

_Prologue_

There were many things that could send Steve back in time and space to another place, a distant memory. Sometimes, on a Sunday evening when he felt like getting some exercise, he would run past a home in his neighbourhood where the inhabitants inside were clearly cooking a delicious curry and he would find himself back in the heart of Karachi, following a suspected arms dealer whilst trying to blend into the crowd in the bazaar. On other days, when the temperature was high and the humidity low, but the wind speed was enough to make it feel as though sand was in the air, he would be transported to the desolate plains of the Kalahari, his SEAL teammates complaining and ranting as they jogged merrily behind him during a training exerice, wearing full kit as they traipsed the desert plains with the sun beating down over their heads.

But nothing, nothing, came close to making him think he’d somehow taken a wrong turn and stumbled into New York than when he walked into a pizza parlour in Chinatown late one night, and found the most _haole haole_ to have ever _haole_ ’d in Hawaii working behind the counter. To think that this person would go on to become his home, in sight, smell and most definitely sound, in a way that no other sense memories could compete with… well.

* * *

It had been a hell of a day. An early morning wake-up call, a kidnapped child, an enraged and possessive father who had not appreciated finding out that his ex-wife had a new man in her life who their child was growing fond of, perhaps even more so than her actual father. Traipsing the island back and forth and finding the child uninjured but frightened in the nick of time. Having to shoot the father who was determined to not let his child go, even if it meant both died. The father dying in full-view of his daughter. He may have been a douche-bag but he was still the girl’s father, and she’d clearly loved him. Even by the time the girl’s mother arrived, the hysterics had not died down and Steve had left the scene with the girl’s sobs still echoing in his ears.

What a fucking roller-coaster.

But, props where they were due, his new team had been stellar. Chin had proven his skills yet again in using technology to move the case along and hopefully feeling less as though he had to keep proving his place in the team to validate Steve's decision to take on an allegedly dirty cop. Kino had shown that she was one of the most gifted rookies on the islands, if not the entire US of A, and Grover's years of police experience provided a good balance against Steve's admittedly non-cop background. The events which had led to the formation of the task force might have been the stuff of nightmares, but with each case, and many evenings spent reflecting out on his lanai with a beer, had given Steve the perspective to see that maybe this wasn't all that bad. But no matter what, he still felt as though something was missing and it frustrated him to no end that no amount of satisfaction from closed cases, the adrenaline of chasing suspects and delivering justice to the people of Oahu was proving to fill that hole. He’d promised himself one year with the task-force and if he still felt this way at the end of the allotted time, he was throwing himself back into active duty with SEALs. But even then, a part of Steve knew that it wasn’t the SEALs and the Navy that was missing in his life as it was now.

Oh well. As of this moment, the only thing that that needed to be filled was his stomach. Paperwork had taken hours after the team had reunited the girl with her mother, and even though Steve had floated the idea of food and beers past his team, they had been too tired to do more than wave a tired hand in thanks and go home to their beds and their partners. Even Kono, who was single like him and far younger, could not work up the energy to do anything beyond land face-first in her bed, still wearing the clothes she had put on this morning. Enthused and gifted she may have been, but it took years to develop the mental and physical stamina that experienced cops had. The only reason Steve was still standing was because of the harsh training he had received in the Navy and during BUDS, but even he was close to crashing. Although being a SEAL was physically more demanding, he had spent years removed from the people he had been protecting and serving, satisfied being the nameless saviour in a country far, far away. However, as a cop, he was not guarded from the emotional energy that was expounded when you could look into the eyes of a victim. And had he failed today, the girl's mother would have both a face and name to associate with the worst thing to have happened to her in her entire life.

Left to his own devices by the team and not yet willing the face his empty house and even emptier refrigerator, Steve kept an eye open for any restaurants or takeaways that would be open this late at night as he drove towards home. It was just after midnight and most establishments of a certain respectable demeanour would be closed, and Steve did not have the energy to go to a hotel bar to order food whilst trying to avoid being picked up by drunk tourists looking to escape their husbands or their miserable lives as he chomped through his steak and fries.

Spotting the lights on in a potential venue as he drove though Chinatown, Steve quickly pulled into the closest available parking space. Getting out of the car and locking it behind him, he observed the outside. In a simple font was written the name, _G’s_ , an artistic but simple drawing of a pizza next to the name the only indication of what the establishment was about. A neon sign in the window declared the place to be open and not seeing many other options, Steve walked towards the door. Whilst pizza was a rarity in Steve's otherwise healthy diet, he felt he was allowed this sin after the day he had, and he'd simply make it up by swimming for longer in the morning.

A bell tinkled as he pushed the door open, the only sound in an otherwise deserted place. Not that it was a big place anyway, enough space for a sizeable counter all along the right side, displaying a variety of massive pizzas, some with slices missing. Along windows on both sides of the door were stools situated under a standard counter, plus a few booths and tables to the left of the place. Steve figured that if lucky, the place could fit maybe thirty people at a push? But at the moment, there was absolutely no-one, not even an indication of someone who might even be running the joint. Steve should have just grabbed some stuff out of the vending machine at the palace, damn it.

“Hello?” he calls out, the door closing behind him, the second tinkling of the bell still failing to do its duty and inform the proprietor of Steve’s presence. Stepping towards the counter, he takes in the pizzas laid out on display behind the glass counter, and his stomach grumbles at the sight. He’s so hungry he could eat a horse (and has eaten horse in the past, one adventurous day in Paris), but he’s pleased to note that the pizzas look of passable quality, with no dead flies on or anywhere around them. Well, at least he’s not guaranteed to catch food poisoning provided he can actually get someone to sell him some pizza. Hygiene test passed, Steve looks towards the open door that must head towards the back of the place, to the prep room and employee-only area.

“Hello?” he calls out again. Receiving no reply, Steve looks towards the wall at the back of the counter.  Almost every square inch of available space is taken up by photos or other pin-ups, with just a hint of green in between to denote the colour of wall behind it. From where Steve is behind the counter it’s hard to see details, and seeing how no one is there to see him or stop him, Steve stops across the yellow line on the floor demarcating clearly what should be employees only area and takes a closer look.

It’s clearly photos of the owner and his family and friends, ranging from what must be the 80s to now. Some are well-worn and rough at the edges, others with the shiny gloss of new photo paper still evident. He isn’t a naval intelligence officer for nothing, and it doesn’t take long to figure out the common link between the photos, a man with a strong jawline broad shoulders, and a physique that gets fitter and bulkier as the years pass. He’s a teenager in some of the photos, and if Steve privately notes that he’s aged exceedingly well, then no one else is the wiser. Many of the earlier photos are clearly in a pizza parlour similar to this one but in New York or New Jersey area, with the man sometimes behind the counter, or in the kitchen rolling dough, or with a whole group in front of the parlour with people who bear enough of a resemblance to clearly be family. In nearly all photos, the man is grinning broadly and Steve himself smiles slightly at the sight of the sheer joy and enthusiasm that is conveyed.

“What the FUCK do you think you’re doing? I head out the back for two minutes, you think you can come in here and get all up in my space?!”

Steve startles at the yell and responding solely from instinct, he draws his weapon from its holster and aims it towards the source of rage emanating from somewhere to his left. Before him stands the man from the photos, but gone is the joy and enthusiasm, replaced instead by days of facial hair growth, lines around his eyes, and sheer rage and indignation evident in every line of the man’s posture.

A man who is also holding a massive metal pizza tray in his hand and looks as though he’s about to launch it at Steve like a vertical Frisbee.

It takes every iota of self-preservation instinct that Steve possess to not laugh out loud at the sight, because he’s pretty sure had he done so, he would have been brained by aforementioned pizza tray, despite the fact that he’s holding a gun, _a gun_ , on the man.

A very fine looking man, to be fair.

“Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, I’m not doing anything!” Steve replied, splaying one hand out in the universal calm down gesture.

“Not doing anything? You’re at the cash register and you’re holding a gun in my face! What, couldn’t find any other places to rob, asshole?”

Rob? Oh god, this guy genuinely thought he was here to rob this rink-a-dink of a place. For what, twelve dollars and some change? Again, self-reservation kicked in and Steve did not voice this out loud. He clearly was the voice of sanity tonight between the two of them.

“Sir, my name is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett of the 5-0 task force. I promise I’m not trying to rob you. Please put the pizza tray down.”

“Put the pizza tray down?” repeated the man, incredulity colouring his tone. “How about you fucking get your gun out of my face?”

“I’m the cop here, you lower your weapon!”

“I’m the owner, you lower yours!”

Steve sighed. “At the same time?”

“At the same time?!?” What was with this guy and repeating everything Steve said? Had Steve lost the ability to speak when he walked in to this place?

“Yes, at the same time! What, is that too hard to comprehend?” Steve snapped.

“Fine, at the same time!”

Being the bigger man (in more ways than one), Steve began lowering his gun and felt a twinge of relief when the man followed. He also started stepping back from behind the counter as the man moved forward, putting the pizza tray to the side as he took his place in front of the cash register. Both breathing heavily from the sudden surge of adrenaline, they just stared at each other from either side of the counter. Which Steve was glad for, because at the end of the day, he was a hot-blooded American male in the prime of physical fitness, and the man in front of him was possibly one of the most attractive men he had come across in a long, long time, and let’s just say adrenaline and anger got his blood plumping all over the place in a way few other things did.

“Okay?” Steve asked, after a minute of silence when the staring contest was beginning to get a bit high school but their breathing had settled.

“Okay”

“You still serving?”

“I’m open, aren’t I?”

“You this charming to all of your customers?”

“Only the ones who come in and put a gun in my face whilst trying to rob me.”

“I wasn’t trying to-,” Steve paused. “Look man, I’ve had a long day, I’m hungry, and I was just hoping for something quick so I can go home and forget this day ever happened.”

The man’s posture relaxed somewhat, and had it been anyone else, Steve could have sworn he saw a bit of sympathy and understanding in the man’s eyes. As though a pizza maker could ever get what Steve’s day had involved.

“Do-over?”

“What?”

The man rolled his eyes and offered his right hand out. “I’m Danny Williams, owner of _G’s_. How may I be of service?”

Steve reached over and shook Danny’s hand, unsurprised by the firm grip encasing his hand. He’d seen those forearms. Dough rolling and kneading was quite a workout, clearly. “Steve McGarrett. Can I get two slices of the ham and pineapple?”

So much for the do-over, Steve thought, as he saw Danny’s face harden. What the actual fuck? He just wanted some pizza. He should have just ordered some Domino’s. Or better yet, gone to bed hungry. 

“And here I thought we were making a fresh start. Look, Lieutenant Steve McGarrett of the 5-0 task force, let me explain something to you just this once. Pizza is mutz, sauce, and dough.” Danny used his fingers to count off the essential ingredients and brandished them in Steve’s face. “That is it. You wanna put a bit of pepperoni on your slice, that’s fine.” The hand was now waving around and it took all of Steve to not take his eyes off of Danny’s face and instead follow its trajectory. “But ham? Out! Fruit? Out!” Danny finished his little speech but pointed at a placard high above the photos, next to the menu display, and Steve tore his eyes away to look to where Danny was pointing.

 

_G’S RESERVES THE RIGHT TO NOT MAKE HAM AND PINEAPPLE PIZZA. THIS IS NOT-NEGOTIABLE AS IT IS GROSS. IF YOU WISH FOR A HAM AND PINEAPPLE PIZZA, PLEASE GO ELSEWHERE. MAHALO._

 

Steve’s eyebrows rose. “You do realise you’re in Hawaii, right?”

He received an eye roll in return. “Look, I don’t care where we are, pizza and pineapple do not belong in the same air-space.”

“I guess you feel quite strongly about this, huh?” Steve deadpanned.

Danny huffed. “Look, try the favourite. It’s cheese, it’s sauce, it’s dough. It’s all you need.” Danny grabbed a pair of tongs and opened the display cabinet to take out two giant slices from one of the pizza’s. Shoving them onto a tray, he placed the tray in one of the two ovens that were in-built into the wall in order to re-heat the slices. “That’ll be four dollars.”

Now that the prospect of food in the not too distant future seemed likely, even though it wasn’t what he’d ordered, Steve reached into his wallet and silently handed over a five-dollar bill, dropping the dollar change into the tip jar when Danny handed it back to him.

“Take a seat, I’ll bring the slices over when they’re ready.” Danny pointed to a fridge filled with plastic bottles of water and soft drinks.  “Grab something to drink from the fridge too, on the house.” Danny winked and then walked again into the back room, leaving Steve just standing there.

Doing as he was ordered, Steve settled into one of the booths by the window, facing the counter but looking out into the quiet street of Chinatown. Even though the entire interaction had taken just about two minutes, it had been enough to make it seem as though the events of the day was a long time ago, and Steve’s shoulders felt relaxed in a way they hadn’t in a long time.

How about that?

Cracking open the seal on the cold bottle of water he’d taken from the fridge, Steve emptied all of it in one long swallow. Wiping the back of his hand across his lips, Steve saw that Danny had returned and was placing the slices on a plate which he then brought over.

“Thanks, brah.”

“No problem, enjoy.”

Danny once against disappeared into the back and Steve finally paid attention to the food in front of him. The slices were generous and Steve knew he’d be out of here in two minutes, home in nine, showered by fifteen, and then in bed before eighteen minutes had passed.

Thirty seconds later, he was at the counter, hollering. “Yo, Danny!”

Danny’s blonde head popped out. “What now? You got a problem with the pizza? Going to put your gun in my face and demand a refund?”

Steve rolled his eyes and showed his empty plate. “No man, the pizza’s great. Can I have two more slices? I promise I’ll go after." 

No word of a lie. The pizza had been as orgasm in edible form. Steve was a quick eater but even if he hadn’t been he wouldn’t dare do disservice to the food that had been placed in front of him by letting it go uneaten and unappreciated a moment longer once he’d had the first taste. 

“You want more? I literally just served you ten seconds ago! How can you be done already?”

“I’m done, I promise, and I want more.”

Danny came out of the back room and moved towards pizza on display again but the suspicious look didn’t leave his face.

“Look man, here’s another five dollars, can I please just get the pizza? Isn’t that what you want? To sell your pizza to a willing customer?”

“Fine, grab another water bottle, I saw the way you guzzled the other one. Slices will be up in two.”

Steve grinned. “You were watching, huh?” He would have winked lasciviously but he didn’t want to risk Danny chucking him out before he got his food.

“Yeah, it was like watching Animal Planet. Sit your ass down.”

“You do comment cards, man? Your customer service could do with some work.”

“Bitch, bitch, bitch,” Danny muttered under his breath. “You got a complaint? Leave it on TripAdvisor.”

“No man, no complaints,” Steve held his hands up in surrender and sat back down in his spot, and Danny came over with the slices a moment later. However, this time, he didn’t disappear into the backroom but just stood there with his arms crossed, watching Steve. “What?”

“What what? I’m ensuring my customer is satisfied with his purchase. Please, eat before it gets cold.”

“Fine, as you wish.” Steve grinned at Danny before turning his attention to the fresh slices and when he looked up again, thirty-five seconds later, he laughed out loud at the look of horror on Danny’s face. Wiping his face on the napkin, he collected his rubbish and threw it away in the bin next to the door.

“It wasn’t ham and pineapple, but it’ll do for tonight.” Steve clapped Danny on the shoulder and made his way out. “See you around, buddy.”

As Steve drove past the windows of G’s, he saw Danny still standing in the spot where Steve had left him, and as he made his way home, he had calculated that if he swam an extra mile for the next three days, he may be able to justify another visit to G’s at the end of the week. Maybe tomorrow if he didn’t have time for a grocery run after work.

 

_TBC_  

**Author's Note:**

> On tumblr as dreambrother89, will try to give indication of updates there.


End file.
